Communications & Engagement Officer - Evidence Emergency

£30,000-£31,500 FTE (depending on experience) short term contract April to October 2026 with potential for extension. Variations of hours (part or full-time) and salary will be considered for the right candidate.

Hybrid (office facilities in Pirbright or near Leatherhead) or fully remote working.

Can you inspire and communicate with confidence and passion? Then we need you! This is an exciting opportunity to be part of the Evidence Emergency’s push to ensure we use evidence to benefit nature restoration.

About the Evidence Emergency project

The Evidence Emergency (EE) project is a critical initiative within the Wildlife Trusts federation aimed at addressing the urgent need for robust, evidence-driven decision-making in conservation efforts and ensure each and every Wildlife Trust has a culture of evidence-based conservation. This project recognises the growing importance of digital technologies and facilitating knowledge-sharing in understanding and protecting wildlife and habitats across the UK.

The project's main goals include enhancing the use of evidence to support key decisions and encourage the creation and sharing of the work being done by Wildlife Trusts to fill our evidence gaps. It seeks to build capacity for evidence-led decision-making while fostering a culture of innovation and knowledge-sharing across the federation, as well as supporting the development of innovative digital solutions to support conservation work. A key component of the project is the establishment of the Evidence Centre of Excellence, which will drive long-term improvements in how evidence is used in conservation efforts.

Key Tasks

The function of the Communications & Engagement Officer is to support delivery of the Evidence Emergency Project’s Grow Phase, working closely with the Wildlife Trust cross-federation project team. Leading on delivering the communications and engagement strategy during the establishment of the Evidence Centre of Excellence and assisting with the facilitation of the Evidence Advocates network.

You will support the EE team to maintain visibility and momentum for the project across the federation, generate interest in evidence-based conservation approaches, and encourage engagement with the Evidence Centre of Excellence’s digital platform. To do this, you will create varied, creative, and engaging comms (e.g., newsletters, blog posts, short videos) using the EE project’s voice, style, and branding; develop, share, and maintain content and resources to populate the digital hub; promote and encourage user-generated content; track engagement with content and adapt communications based on feedback and usage; provide regular feedback to project team and attend project management meetings to support the development of the project through a continuous and iterative process.

You will support EE team to organise and facilitate cross-Wildlife Trust meetings and events through helping to plan and promote the Evidence Advocate (EA) network: inviting guest speakers and liaising with EAs; producing and sharing meeting summaries/recaps; identifying sources of future content from these meetings and feeding this back to EE colleagues to support planning; sharing responsibility for monitoring the team inbox and responding to EA enquiries; supporting the organisation and delivery of knowledge-sharing events, innovation workshops, and a cross-federation conference. You would also have the opportunity speak about the project and the Centre of Excellence at federation-wide events and at local Wildlife Trusts (occasional travel may be involved; most meetings are remote) and/or chair meetings, should this be of interest.

Person specification

To successfully undertake this role, you will need excellent written and verbal communication skills; the ability to translate complex or technical subject matter into clear, engaging narratives for different audiences; excellent organisational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines; the ability to work independently using own initiative and judgment; good IT competence and creativity (Microsoft Office required, experience using any of MailChimp, design tools such as Canva (or similar) for content production, or video-editing software to produce short-form content would be an advantage).

To demonstrate your suitability for this role, you will need experience delivering regular, high-quality content. The ideal candidate will be confident shaping comms for behaviour and culture change – direct experience of this is not essential, but being able to explain how your background equips you to work in this way will help your application. Please see the job profile for the full criteria – whilst every box does not need to be covered, a solid, relevant background and the right personality to carry this role are essential. This role may suit someone transitioning careers or a freelancer seeking greater stability.

We are committed to having an inclusive and diverse workplace and encourage applications from backgrounds which may be underrepresented in our sector, including people from minority ethnic backgrounds and people with disabilities. We are committed to offering an interview to all candidates that meet the primary criteria for the post. Please let us know if you require any adjustment to make our recruitment process more accessible. We are a Disability Confident Employer.

The deadline for applications is midday 19th March 2026. Interviews will be held week commencing 23rd March 2026 although initial contact may be made with applications as they are received so don’t delay!